MTA’s fares go up — and its revenues go down the drain

[Kamaji]

MTA’s fares go up — and its revenues go down the drain

By NY Post Editorial Board
August 13, 2023

Ever wonder where all the money goes from those fare MTA hikes? Consider this latest boondoggle.

As The Post reported last week, the agency shelled out $5 million over the past year to pay employees (on overtime!) just to walk around a Brooklyn bus depot looking for flames — because its sprinkler system wasn’t up to snuff.

The patrols run 24 hours a day, with workers paid $60 an hour in three shifts of as many as 10 each.

Was it really so hard for the agency to figure out some cheaper way to deal with the problem?

Yeah, we know: The pipes are old and leaky.

They continually fail pressure tests and probably need to be ripped out, a project that could cost far more than patrols.

And rules dictate that without a working sprinkler system, qualified staff must patrol the premises 24/7, for safety reasons.

Blah, blah, blah.

But why is it that whenever MTA projects entail enormous outlays, somehow there’s always a litany of excuses to explain it?

Who let the pipes get old and leaky with no replacement plan (and funding) set to go in the first place? Did MTA managers think those pipes would last forever?

And do the rules really require 10 workers per shift, 24/7, each of whom must be paid such exorbitant sums for what seems like simple work?

If so, are those rules really necessary?

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Source:  https://nypost.com/2023/08/13/somethings-gotta-give-either-the-mta-or-ny-taxpayers/